Lost
Lost & Stolen, ''written by E.M. Malcom'' Lost & Stolen is a brand-new series E.M. Malcom created, talking about the original story and its sequel, ''Found & Returned''. It started off as two drafts that didn't work, but then developed into a grand story that Malcom said herself was a major success. It revolves around Annette Florence and David Benjamin Blakeley, two rambunctious, clever slaves who face terrible circumstances during the Civil War era. Plot The plot centers around Annette Florence and David Benjamin Blakeley during the early Civil War era as they live the lives of twelve-year-old slaves. The story starts off with Annie waking up, but Malcom, the author and creator, had deleted a few sentences and a few chapters, leaving the story a bit less detailed than the drafts. In the drafts and in her plans, Annie was to wake up from a dream she had about the slave owners trying to murder her ''and'' her family, which she believes is David, Remington Theodore, Wallace Spencer, and her parents, Benjamin and Seraphina Blakeley. No one knows if the couple changed their names or if they were born with those names, but overall, their family name is Blakeley. Annie wakes up to one of David's repeated questions ( "Have you ever looked at the sun rise, and ask, 'Have you ever seen anything more beautiful than this?'" ) and confronts him that she hasn't. Now David, the daring and positive one, actually can't see clearly, given he's nearsighted, but sees everything in an appealing light. The two have a conversation about their circumstances, and Annie, being the practical and wise one, complains that they live rather poorly. David brings up Clarence Larson, a slave they once knew, that's going through much worse, and they should be happy they're alive. What's confusing is that he is the slave who wants to leave the plantation the most. After David makes things worse by asking "What could go wrong on a day like this?" the Ponsonbys ( William, Justine, and their sons Ronald and Felix ), their masters, come in and assign them chores. The Ponsonbys, unlike some slave owners, make the younger slaves work in the house and when they come of age, they're to work on the fields, with the adults ( Benjamin and Seraphina, Ernest and Georgette, Percival and Jane, Sophia and Joel, and Lewis and Amandine ). The children ( Vivian, Annie, Francis, David, Remington, Rosalie, Arlington, and Wallace ) work inside the Ponsonby residence, either sewing clothes, making dinner, and cleaning their house, which tires them out. Vivian, it seems, has a strong hatred for Annie and David, and they don't like her either. Francis is the oldest boy, always trying to be responsible; Remington is the younger brother of Annie and David, and never gives up on them ( three years younger ); Rosalie is shy and is Vivian's practical henchwoman; Arlington is very quiet and uncommunicative; and Wallace is the baby brother of Annie, David, and Remington ( Remy. ). Remy confronts his siblings by asking if they're stupid, not knowing how to read or write, but Vivian kicks in and says that both Annie and David think they ''are'' stupid, because she thinks they think they're better than everyone else, even though it's not true at all. =